BlackBerry’s patent portfolio is believed by some to be among the company’s most valuable assets. But what if it’s not? What if its worth to a potential BlackBerry suitor is undermined by preexisting cross-licensing agreements?

That may prove to be the case, according to a new theory put forth by Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette. A recent analysis has put the value of BlackBerry’s patents at somewhere between $2 billion and $5 billion, depending on whether they’re bought by a lone acquirer or purchased by a consortium of companies in some sort of cross-licensing deal. But, as Faucette notes, it’s entirely possible that some of the value of BlackBerry’s patent portfolio has been eroded over the years by the licensing deals it has inked in the course of normal business. Read More »

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